Weed burning apparatus



Sept. 5, 1933. H. E. WOOLERY 1,925,164

WEED BURNING APPARATUS Filed April 15, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 #1 torn eys.

In ven for! Sept. 5, 1933. H. E. WOOLERY WEED BURNING APPARATUS- Filed April 15, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 I n ven for liEh/oolery y ,(i'forneys Patented Sept. 5, 1933 WEED BURNING APPARATUS Horace E. Woolery,

to Woolery Minn.

Minneapolis, Minn., assignor Machine Company, Minneapolis,

Application April 15, 1929. Serial No. 355,068

3 Claims.

My invention relates to weed burning apparatus, and particularly to apparatus of this character which is mounted on a wheeled frame adapted to be propelled along railway tracks.

An object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which embodies not only burners fixed with relation to the vehicle for burning weeds, etc. along the ballast of the track but also outside burners which while the vehicle is in motion can be readily swung in or out and up or down for the purpose of burning weeds, rubbish, etc. beyond the ballast-toe line. The importance of keeping the ditches along the track free from weeds, rubbish, leaves, etc.

will be appreciated upon recalling that such material forms an obstruction which catches washed-down soil and results in ditch-damming. Properly drained ditches means less water soaked up by the track and roadbed, less trackheaving from frost, less shimming and tamping expense and smoother and safer roadbeds. Another object is to provide a device of the character stated having burners in which the flames may be readily cut off and started whenever desired, in which the intensity of the flames may be readily controlled and in which the burners are constructed to operate efficiently for delivering the flames therefrom in an effective manner upon the roadbed and ground adjacent thereto.

The full objects and advantages of my invention will appear in connection with the detailed description thereof, and the novel features of my inventive idea will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate a practical embodiment of my invention,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a side elevational view. Fig. 3 is a view on an enlarged scale in transverse vertical section substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a view on an enlarged scale in vertical section on the line 44 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a view in horizontal section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4. Fig.

6 is a view in cross section on the line 66 of Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a view in cross section on the line 7'7 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the construction shown in the drawings, the apparatus includes a frame designated in general by the numeral 8 this frame being mounted on a pair of front wheels 10 and a pair of rear wheels 12 adapted to run on the rails of a railway track. A pair of front standards 14 and a pair of rear standards 16 extend up from the frame 8 while the forward portion of the frame carries a transverse beam 18. A central pipe 20 and two side pipes 22 rest upon the beam 18 with their forward ends projecting beyond the same and with their rear ends rigidly connected to a transverse cylinder 24 supported by the frame and closed at its two ends as will be understood by referring to Figs. 1 and 5. Two outside pipes 26 have universal joint connections with relation to the cylinder 24. For this purpose, short pipe sections 28 extend forwardly from said cylinder near the ends thereof while the rear ends of the 5 pipes 26 have hollow members 30 firmly secured thereto by means of screw bolts 32. The rear ends of the members 30 are in the form of segments of a hollow globe and fit inside the forward ends of the pipe sections 28 so as to remain in contact therewith as the pipe 26 is swung in any direction. A pair of links 34 for each pipe 26 connect the bolts 32 to a slightly skewed ring member 36, the links being pivotally attached to the ring by screw bolts 38. The ring 36 fits around an annular flange 40 on the outside of the pipe section 28 while the ring 36 is pivotally attached to the flange 40 by two screw bolts 42 located at with relation to the two bolts 38 respectively. Each pipe 26 has a cable 44 connected with its forward end, the cable for each of these pipes passing part way around a pulley 46 and then being wound on a reel 48. The shaft of the reel 48 extends downwardly and has secured to its lower end a worm gear 50 meshing with a worm 52. The pulleys 46, reels 48 and worm gearings are mounted on the two ends respectively of a transverse bar 54 carried by the upper ends of the front standards 14. The worms 52 are secured to the forward ends of shafts 56, the rear ends of which pass through bearings carried by a transverse bar 58 supported by the upper ends of the rear standards 16. Hand wheels 60 are secured to the rear ends of the shafts 56 so that by turning one or the other of these hand wheels the two pipes 26 may be independently raised and lowered. Links 62 are pivotally connected at one end to an intermediate portion of the pipes 26, the other ends of these links being pivotally attached to sprocket chains 64 as best shown in Fig. 3. The chains 64 are trained around sprocket wheels 66 supported on a cross bar 68 carried by the frame and around sprocket wheels 70 supported by standards '72 extending up from the frame. The sprocket wheels 105 '70 are secured to the forward ends of shafts 74 whose rear ends extend through bearings carried by a cross bar '76 extending between and connecting the standards 14. Sprocket wheels 80 are secured to the rear ends of the shafts 74. 0

Sprocket chains 82 are trained around the sprocket wheels and around sprocket wheels 84 secured to the forward portions of shafts 86, whose front ends are mounted in bearings 88 secured to the transverse bar 54. The rear ends of the shafts 86 pass through bearings carried by the cross bar 58 and are provided with hand wheels 90 so that by turning one or the other of the latter, the two pipes 26 may be independently swung in and out with relation to the vehicle. The forward portions of the pipes 20, 22 and 26 are alike and hence a detailed description of one of them as shown in Figs. 4, 6, and 7 will be suificient. A cylindrical shield 92 is secured to the forward end i of the pipe by bolts 94. The front of this shield is closed by an end member 96 which preferably extends down somewhat further than the main portion of the shield. Just back of the member 96, the bottom of the shield is provided with an opening 98 for the discharge of flames. The pipe 26 at its junction with the shield is provided with a burner which includes a short cylindrical member 100 held concentrically within the front end of the pipe. Supported within the member 100 by supporting rods 102, there are three annular members 104, 106, and 108 consisting of rims which incline outwardly and rearwardly and are progressively smaller in diameter and spaced rearwardly from each other in succession. Fluid fuel is delivered through the opening in the inner member 108 by a nozzle 110. head of the burner, the top of the shield is provided with a small opening 112 below which in the bottom of the shield there is a depression containing asbestos 114 from which a wick 116 extends upwardly. A pipe-line 118, one for each of the five burners, extends rearwardly and the five pipelines are connected to a transverse pipe 120 which in turn is connected by a pipe 122 with a pump 124. The pump 124 is connected by a pipe 126 with a tank 128 for fluid fuel, this tank being mounted as part of a tank car having a platform 130 for an operator who manipulates the handwheels 60 and 90. The pump 124 is operated by an internal combustion motor 132 by means of a belt 134 connected with the respective shafts. This motor is provided with a radiator 136 and it also drives a belt 138 which operates a blower 140. The blower is connected by a delivery pipe 142 with the transverse cylinder 24 previously referred to so that air is forced through all of the pipes 20, 22, and 26. These pipes are provided with butterfly'valves 144 by means of which the force of the blast may be regulated for each pipe independently. The fluid fuel supply pipes 118 are provided with shutoff valves 146 by means of which the supply of fuel to the burners maybe independently regulated and shut off.

The operation and advantages of my invention will now be apparent. The burners may be readily ignited by pouring a small quantity of liquid fuel through the openings 112 so that it is absorbed by the asbestos 114 and the wick 116 as will be understood from Fig. 4. The tank car together with the car which has the supporting frame 8 may be pushed along the track by any suitable source of power. The blast of air delivered by the blower passes through the annular members 104, 106 and 108 of the burners and these members act in the manner of Venturi tubes so that the air is thoroughly mixed with the liquid fuel delivered by the nozzles. The intense heat generated in the shields 92 causes weeds, grass, etc. over which the shields pass'to burn very quickly. The burners carried by the two outside pipes 26 may be independently swung in or out and up or down by the operator'who turns the hand wheels 60 and 90. The flames may thus be directed down the side of embankments, up the edges of cuts, and swung around the base of platforms, fences and crossings, buildings, etc. while the burners are advancing along the track. For railways with clean ballast, the fixed middle burner and two intermediate burners may be shut off while the two outside burners are used for projecting the flames out laterally to burn weeds, etc. from the ground occupied by the space extending from the ballast-toe line out to a considerable distance beyond the same.

I claim:

1. In a weed burning apparatus, the combination of a wheeled frame, a transverse tubular member carried by said frame and having its two end portions projecting beyond the sides of the frame, pipe sections extending forwardly from said end portions, forwardly-extending pipes having rear portions fitting said pipe sections for swinging engagement relatively thereto, link connections attaching said pipes to said pipe sections, mechanism supported by said frame for swinging said pipes, burners, carried by the forward ends of said pipes, means for supplying fluid fuel directly to said burners, and means for supplying air under pressure to said tubular member and pipes.

2. In a weed burning apparatus, the combination of a wheeled frame, a transverse tubular member carried by said frame and having its two end portions projecting beyond the sides of 1 the frame, pipe sections extending forwardly from said end portions, forwardly-extending pipes having rear portions fitting said pipe sections for universal swinging engagement relatively thereto, link connections attaching said pipes to said pipe sections, mechanism supported by said frame for swinging the forwardends of said pipes up and down, mechanism supported by said frame for swinging the forward ends of said pipes in and out with relation to said frame, burners carried by the forward ends of said pipes, means for supplying fluid fuel directly to said burners, and means for supplying air under pressure to said tubular member and pipes.

3. In a weed burning apparatus, the combination of a wheeled frame, a transverse tubular member carried by said frame and having its two end portions projecting beyond the sides of the frame, pipe sections extending forwardly from said end portions, forwardly-extending pipes having rear portions in the form of segments of a hollow globe fitting inside of the forward ends of said pipe' sections, rings pivotally attached at diametrically opposite sides thereof to the outside of said forward ends, links pivotally connecting the rear portions of said pipes with said rings at a 90 relation to the pivotal attachment of said rings, mechanism supported by said frame for swinging the forward ends of said pipes up and down, mechanism supported by said frame for swinging the forward ends of said pipes in and out with relation to said frame, burners carried by the forward ends of said pipes, means for supplying fluid fuel directly to said burners, and means for supplying air under pressure to said tubular member and pipes.

HORACE E. WOOLERY. 

